Hilcorp already owns most Cook Inlet oil and gas. It just bought out another player.

Hilcorp has bought out one of the last small independent natural gas operators in the Cook Inlet basin outside of Anchorage — furthering consolidation among the companies that supply urban Alaska with the fuel needed for home heating and electricity generation.

Subsidiaries of Gardes Holdings, a Louisiana-based oil business, had operated the North Fork unit on the Kenai Peninsula — a small development that produces some 2 million cubic feet of gas a day, or a little more than 1% of the demand of Enstar, urban Alaska’s fuel supplier.

Gardes had said it was struggling to raise money to drill new wells, and its subsidiary, Vision Resources, sold its leases to Hilcorp in a transaction approved last week, according to documents posted by the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas. Hilcorp affiliates have also acquired a 7-mile pipeline associated with the North Fork unit.

A Gardes official, Mark Landt, referred questions to Hilcorp.

In a prepared statement, Hilcorp spokesman Matt Shuckerow said the company is looking to drill new wells as soon as this winter.

“Hilcorp is excited about the opportunity to further develop the North Fork Unit — a field that is largely undeveloped but shows potential for new production,” Shuckerow said. “Hilcorp is optimistic about bringing additional natural gas to market to help meet the energy needs of Southcentral Alaska families, homes, and businesses.”

Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at [email protected] or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link.